Wheel-flange lubricator.



R. H. SGROGGINS. WHEEL FLANGE LUBIRIGATOE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913.

1,104,321 Patented July 21, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Hiql.

2 5 T1 1% Wm Mum J ,saroygns.

Eiqi. 4/1 I (I ATTOH/V rs.

1n: NORRIS FEYERS ca, vusmmrrou, p c.

R. H. SOROGGINS. WHEEL FLANGE LUBRIGATOR, APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913.

1, 1 04,32 1 Patented July 21, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. Eiqfi.

. 5. 1D. BY M H a m 9 97 111 l/VI/E/VTOF 15 12.117 Soroggzlns;

'rnn STATES PATENT ormcn ROBERT E. SCROGGINS, OF VIENNA, VIRGINIA, ASSIG NOR 0F OI\TEHALF TO JOSEPH H. BRADLEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WHEEL-FLANGE LUBnIoAroR.

improved means for lubricating car wheel flanges, particularly the wheels of street cars to thereby materially reduce the friction be tween the car wheel flanges and the curved track sections on which they run and also overcome the grinding noises incident in the ordinary running of the wheel flanges when rounding curves.

Another object of my invention is to provide a lubricating means of the general character mentioned in which the act-ion of applying the lubricant and cutting off the feed thereof is entirely automatic and the said actions controlled by movement of the car truck as it passes onto and off the curved track sections.

A. further object of my invention is to provide a wheel flange lubricator in which is included a simple and inexpensive arrangement of parts capable of being readily attached to any of the ordinary types of street car bodies and their cooperating running gear, and in which special provision is made for conveniently resupplying the lubricant and adjusting the parts for a positive, uniform, and economic supplying of the lubricant at the required times.

With other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the peculiar construction and novel combination of the parts hereinafter described, specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, so much of a car truckbeing shown as is necessary to illustrate a practical application of my invention, the parts being shown at the normal or straightway running position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of one of the lubricant or grease holding cylinders, and the feed plunger or piston. Fig. 3 is adetail horizontal section of the nozzle or discharging end of the lubricant cylinder, the closure member therefor, and the oscillatory crank device that cooperates with v Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 22, 1913.

v Patented July 21, 1914. Serial No. 769,245.

the-said closure member and the spreading brush devices. Fig. 4 is a cross section'thereof on the llne 44 on Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of the slidable brush carrier. F1g. 6 is a plan view of the car truck wlth my lubricating means applied,

the parts being at the normal position. Fig.

7 is a similar view, the truck being shown in the position of rounding a curve, andthe lubricating means ad usted for lubricating the; wheel flanges. Fig. 8 is a detail side elevation of the closure means for the lubricant j discharging nozzle the lubricant receiving brush and the lever controlled devices for actuating the said closure means and the brush, the parts being at the normal position. Fig. 9 is a similar view of the parts shown in Fig.- 8, the latter being shown adjusted for .applying the lubricant to the wheel flange. Fig. 10 is a perspective view ofthe parts shown in Figs. 8 and 9, portions thereof being broken away and in section to better illustrate the cooperation of the same.

In my construction of lubricating mechanisms, the several parts are so combined and arranged that the feed of the lubricant is controlled by closure members that cut off the outflow of the lubricant from the lubricant holders and so arranged that they are automatically moved to their open or closed positions as the car passes onto and leaves the curve. I

In carrying out my invent-ion, I employ a bracket 1, at one or both ends of the car platform, and which is centrally positioned and extends in the longitudinal plane of the platform or car body to which the said bracket 1 is pendently and fixedly attached. The front and rear ends of the bracket 1 are bent down to form 'apertured ears 10, the purpose of which will presently appear.

2 designates lubricant holding cylinders mounted on the car truck in any suitable manner, one of such cylinders being disposed in advance of each of the car wheels, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Each lubricant holding cylinder is in 00- operative connection with a set'of devices that control the outfeed of the said lubricant onto the adjacent car wheel flange and since the said set of devices for each car wheel and lubricantholding cylinder operate alike, a detailed description of one set of such devices will snflice for all of the several sets of devices.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, it will be noticed the cylinder 2 is open at oneend to thereby provide for quickly stantly forcedtoward the nozzle by av plunger piston a that is, normally forced in 'the direction of the arrow 00 by. a strong coiled spring 5 containedwithin the head end ofthe cylinder2, the said head end including the removablescrew cap 50 thathas a central bore for the piston stem 6 which is threaded nearly its full length to receive the adjusting wheel nut 7, the latter being used for pullingthe piston 4 backwhen it has passed to the foremost position and it is clesired to refill the cylinder.

The outer end of the nozzle 20 is curved to accommodate the curved end of the closure member or gate 8 which member in the construction shown is a spring steel plate secured to the top of the nozzle 20 in such a manner that its front or gate portion 80 may be lifted .sufliciently to expose a restricted outlet 21 in the nozzle (see Figs. 8 and 9).

I prefer vto use. a spring steel plate to serve as the closure member, since the free end can beeasilybuckled, as shown in Fig. 9 when lifting the said end and the spring of the plate aids in closing the said member over the lubricant outlet.

9 designates a brush or spreader device, which catches the lubricant as it flows from the nozzle 20 and directs it against the wheel.

flange (see Fig. 9) and the said brush comprises a holder .91 in which.the wire bristles are secured, the latter being shaped to form a concave .orgutter-like body, thereby snugly engaging the flange, the flexibility ofthe brushes affording a desired wiping action on the wheel-flange (see Fig. 9).

The brush holder, shown in detail in Fig. 5, includes a head block 92 having a dovetailed flange 93 and a lateral wing 94 that carries abearing roller 95and has a longitudinal groove in its upper face, as shown.

22,designates a dovetailed guidethat is longitudinally disposed and is secured to the bottom of the nozzle..20. and in which the flange93 of the block 92 slides. v

12.designates a perpendicular rock shaft mounted in the bearings 1313 on the side of the nozzle20, the upper end of which carries a cross head orqarm 14 and the lower endof which carriesa hollow crank shaped cam 15 that is disposed at. right angles to the 5 cr0ss arm 14 and into which the roller bearing 95 of block 92 projects, the relation of the said parts, the cam 15, the rock shaft, and the slide block 92, being such, that as the shaft 12 is rocked the slide block 92 will be .moved toward or from the wheel flange, it

being obvious that in the practical arrangement of the parts, the slide block 92 is caused :cludes bifurcated apertured ears 19 in which is pivoted one end of a thrust rod 30, the

upper end of which is adjust-ably connected to a sleeve 31 on the closuregate 8, to which it i held by the binding screw 32. By reason of the peculiar construction of the parts, as described and shown, when shaft 12 is rocked on approaching a curve, the cam device on the lower end thereof moves the slide block with the brushes out toward the wheel flange and simultaneously raises the gateS as in Fig. 9 and the spring plunger pressure on the lubricant causes the lubricant to flow out against the wheel flange, it being understood that as the wheel leaves the curve the shaft 12 is rocked in the opposite direction and thereby causes the parts to assume the position shown in Fig. 8.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 6 and 7 it will be seen that provision is made for simultaneously operating the lubricating devices for bothof the front wheels, and for a To provide against undue strain on the rockshafts 12, that might occur under sudden shifting of the lever rods 2526 and when passing swiftly around very sharp curves, the rods 2526 are made of telescopic sections held to a normally fixed relation by the coiled springs 27 the tension of which is such to hold the rod sections as one under ordinary conditions, and to permit of their contraction under excessive strains.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings the complete construction, the operation and advantages of my. invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in-.the art to which it appertains.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A lubricating means of the character described, the combination with the car truck, a lubricant holder mounted thereon and having a discharging nozzle arranged to eject the lubricant against the car wheel flange, means cooperating with the holder for normally forcing the lubricant through the nozzle, a closure member for the nozzle and a means for catching the lubricant as it escapes from the nozzle to cause it to smear over the wheel flange against which the lubricant is ejected, and other means actuated by the swinging of the car truck for con trollin the movements of the closure member and the means for smearing the ejected lubricant onto the wheel flange.

2. In a wheel flange lubricator, the combination with the wheeled truck; of a lubricant holding cylinder mounted on the truck, said cylinder having an ejecting nozzle for delivering the lubricant against the wheel flange, a spring-pressed piston within the cylinder that forces the lubricant toward the nozzle, means operable externally of the cylinder for returning the spring-pressed piston to its back position, the said cylinder having a capped filling end, a closure member for the nozzle end, and means controlled by the lateral swing of the car truck that cooperates with the closure member to eflect the opening and closing of the said closure member.

In a wheel flange lubricator, the combination with the wheeled truck; of a lubricant holding cylinder mounted on the truck, said cylinder having an ejecting nozzle for delivering the lubricant against the wheel flange, a spring-pressed piston within the cylinder that forces the lubricant toward the nozzle, means operable externally of the cylinder for returning the spring-pressed piston to its back position, the said cylinder having a capped filling end, a closure member for the nozzle end, means controlled by the lateral swing of the car truck that cooperates with the closure member to effect the opening and closing of the said closure member, and means including a rock shaft, a cam thereon, a slidable member whose movements are controlled by the movements of the cam and a connection that joins the closure member and slidable member.

a. In a car wheel flange lubricator, the combination with the car truck, of a cylinder located in front of each one of an opposite pair of car wheels, each cylinder including a laterally projected nozzle for ejecting the lubricant over its corresponding wheel flange, means contained within each cylinder for normally forcing the lubricant therein through the nozzle thereof, a closure member for each cylinder nozzle, and a means controlled by the lateral swing of the car truck for simultaneously opening the closure members for the opposite cylinders.

5. In a car wheel flange lubricator, the combination with the car truck, of a cylinder located in front of each one of an opposite pair of car wheels, each cylinder including a laterally projected nozzle for ejecting the lubricant over its corresponding wheel flange, means contained within each cylinder for normally forcing the lubricant therein through the nozzle thereof, a closure member for each cylinder nozzle, a means controlled by the lateral swing of the car truck for simultaneously opening the closure members for the opposite cylinders, said means including a pair of oppositely disposed rock shafts, each carrying a cross head, a longitudinally disposed bracket secured to the car body and having pendent front and rear bearings, a pair of connecting lever members for each rock shaft pivotally connected to the opposite ends of the front and rear pendent brackets, and to their respective rock shaft cross heads.

6. In a car Wheel flange lubricator, the combination with the car truck, of a cylinder located in front of each one of an opposite pair of car wheels, each cylinder including a laterally projected nozzle for ejecting the lubricant over its corresponding wheel flange, means contained within each cylinder for normally forcing the lubricant therein through the nozzle thereof, a closure member for each cylinder nozzle, a means controlled by the lateral swing of the car truck for simultaneously opening the closure mem bers for the opposite cylinders, said means including a pair of oppositely disposed rock shafts each carryinga cross head, a longitudinally disposed bracket secured to the car body and having pendent front and rear bearings, a pair of connecting lever members for each rock shaft pivotally connected to the opposite ends of the front and rear pendent brackets, and to their respective rock shaft cross heads, said levers each consisting of two telescopic sections and a yieldable connection for holding the lever sections together, to act as a single member under ordinary pulling or pushing strains thereof.

ROBERT H. SCROGGINS.

Witnesses FRED G. DIETERICH, 7 ROBERT M. GREENWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." 

